An engrossing tale set in Atlanta about Ruth Robb, a recent transplant from New York, whose grandparents are wealthy fixtures in the town. Ruth's grandmother, Fontaine, quickly sets steps for Ruth's success into motion (fancy school, pre-debutante classes, admittance to "the club") with only the briefest mention that perhaps Ruth shouldn't speak openly about being Jewish. She is an immediate, but secretly conditional member of the in-crowd, a secret that builds increasing guilt and disappointment as the story progresses. Kaplan does an incredible job of bringing to light the ties and parallels of the Southern Jewish community to the African-American community during the Civil Rights era, while simultaneously highlighting the aspects of social justice for which we are still fighting today. I wondered at times if teens would love this as much as I did, but ultimately, the story was extremely compelling, and today's kids are no strangers to injustice. If they like historical fiction, they will surely like this.

This is one of the first historical fictions that I can remember reading in a long while. I really enjoyed this one! Since I am Jewish, I had an easy time connecting with main character, and the overall plot was very interesting.

DNF at 56% / I was hoping to read a sweet yet educational read in the form of this book, but sadly, that wasn't what I got. I had a hard time connecting with the writing, the characters, and their story line, and I hate to say it but I felt like it was a bit dragging to read. However, in the purpose of being neutral, I'm giving this 3 stars.

I love historical fiction and this was no exception. I enjoyed the uniqueness of the story (I feel that it’s rare to read historical fiction about a Jewish character outside a WWII setting) and the relevance. Definitely recommend.

N THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF TRUE by Susan Kaplan Carlton takes place primarily in Atlanta in 1958 and offers an opportunity to explore what it might have been like to move there from the North while a teenager and after the unexpected death of one's father. Further complicating the efforts at adapting to a new Southern culture and the strong set of regional traditions is the fact that the main character, Ruth, has few traits in common with her new classmates. Or, as she muses to herself: "I'm a Yankee, a brunette, an Adlai Stevenson Democrat, an aspiring journalist, and Jewish."

Ruth has to learn to say ma'am when addressing her elders as well as hide her religion, and begin to understand that in the neighborhood of true is what Southerners say "when something's close enough." Rather self-centered and superficial, Ruth develops a crush on a boy (Davis Jefferson), deals with some mean girls and struggles with her mother's push for activism. It seems to take roughly half the book to set up this scenario at which point many students will have lost interest or still strain to appreciate the historical period. It is important to recognize that IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF TRUE was inspired by the 1958 bombing of an Atlanta synagogue and if that was an earlier and bigger part of the book, it could spark some important discussions, especially in light of the attacks on synagogues and other places of worship in recent news events.

I'll start by saying that even though this is a YA book, It is well worth the read even if it is,
This is also not your typical coming of age for a young woman, but it is an important perspective on the reality of making decisions that impact more than themselves in a world that thinks their too young to know the difference.
The premise of this book is based on a bombing that happened in 1958, to the oldest a synagogue in Atlanta.
The main character Ruth Robb and her family move in the summer of 1958 from New York City to Atlanta— Ruth. Eager to fit in with the blond girls in her new school, Ruth decides to hide her religion. Before she knows it, she is falling for the handsome and charming Davis at an all white, all Christian Club.
At the temple( her mother makes her go to the synagogue), Ruth meets Max, who is fighting for social justice in Atlanta and the country, and now she is caught between worlds, religions, and two boys.
A violent hate crime brings the parts of Ruth’s life together. She chooses between all she loves about her new life and standing up for what she believes.
How she does this when it would be so easy to turn a blind eye as many people did during the Civil Rights movement, is a study of strength and courage that many youths of the time used to make a change for all people not just themselves.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

I very rarely read any type of historical fiction, but this blew me away and made me feel connected to the characters in so many ways.

Ruth and her sisters are fierce, smart, and grieving. Her mom has relocated them from New York City where everyone knew they were Jewish to Atlanta, where being Jewish is consider bad. All Ruth wants is to wear long ball gowns, dance with boys, make friends and be able to be Jewish and pretend to be a member of the Southern Methodist Church.

I loved this book so much. As someone who is an Orthodox Jew, I loved seeing more representation of Jews by Jews in Young Adult Fiction. This book blew me away. There was romance, but mainly the focus was on social-justice aspect and how hard it was to be Jewish in the south during this time. There was one line that stood out to me more than anything, where it mentions Queen Esther right after Ruth talks about hiding her identity, that moment in the book made me feel so seen. I had also read it right after the holiday of Purim which is where we celebrate Queen Esther. It was the first reading a book where I understood the biblical reference and was able to really get the whole idea.

I love the fact that we are getting more books about Jews that aren't about the holocaust. It showed that Jewish teens are the same as everyone else. We all have our struggles and we all want to fit in.  It has in fact been one of my dreams for a very long time to be a debutante. I have always wanted something like that, to wear a ball gown and dance the night away. Ah.

I really recommend this novel to anyone who is looking to read diverse novels. I give this all the stars.

After her father's untimely death, Ruth Robb's mother uproots her and her little sister from New York City to Atlanta, Georgia. The main issue? Ruth is Jewish and she doesn't want anyone to know. Segregation and blatant racism still loom large in the 1950's South. Because Ruth's mother was raised in Atlanta, Ruth is able to hind behind her grandparents non-Jewishness. Ruth must wrestle between being popular and being who she truly is.I really think books like 'In the Neighborhood of True', are important for young adults of today. It helps them to realize that segregation and the civil rights movement are not things of ancient history but things that happened a short time ago. Desegregation here in Florida is something that was actively happening when I was in elementary school and segregation was still very much alive when my parents were in high school. An interesting topic for me was the situation with Ruth and the 'colored' water fountains. My mom was six in 1958. Her family had just moved to Florida from upstate NY.  When she took a drink from the 'colored' water fountain at a department store, she was summarily yelled at by a store employee. So these types of events are things of living memory.I appreciated that Carlton made Ruth a very flawed character. The fact that she and her grandmother hide that Ruth is Jewish so that she could attend 'wasp' country clubs and a Christian school made her believable. I  also think this is a reality for most teenagers who are put in Ruth's situation (especially in that time period).I loved that Ruth had two sisters in the story. I really feel there is a tendency in YA contemporary to make the protagonist an only child or child with absent siblings. I think this tendency is such a shame because for most of us our siblings are a major part of our young adult experience.I did have some issues with some of the dialogue. Sometimes it felt kind of clunky and confusing. For example, sometimes I couldn't tell who was talking or what they were talking about. Some of this may be due to the format of my digital ARC. I also felt that at times Ruth felt a little young for her age. I kept thinking she was thirteen or fourteen.The only other issue I had with 'In the Neighborhood of True' is Mr. Hank. I am a little torn whether his character was realistic for the time and place. I'm just not sure the outspoken liberal attitude of his newspaper would have been tolerated. I realize he owned the newspaper and that made him powerful and influential but I just don't see him not being shunned in his social circle.I really enjoyed 'In the Neighborhood of True' and it's message. I would love to read more YA historical fiction and I can't wait to read more from Susan Kaplan Carlton.

I fell in love with the characters and the setting in this book. I always enjoy books that take us back to times of different fashions and aesthetics. Unfortunately, you can't have the 50's charm without the 50's racism. While this book is not set in modern times, it is still extremely relevant to today. It was also nice to have a historical novel with a female Jewish main character that doesn't revolve around WWII.

I don’t usually read historical fiction but In the Neighborhood of True sounded important and it definitely is worth the read.

After Ruth’s father passes away, she moves to the town where her mother grew up but it is widely different than New York as she is used to. It’s 1958 and the Southern small town she’s moved to is definitely not accepting. In an attempt to make friends, she decides to hide the fact that she’s Jewish but when her synagogue is hit by a hate crime, she has to decide whether hiding her identity is something she needs to hide.

I really liked Ruth. She definitely seemed like a real teenager and I think she definitely had a strong voice in In the Neighborhood of True. I think her exploration of identity would definitely be relatable to people today even. Ruth was definitely a character I was rooting for and I was really engaged reading her story. While there are elements of romance in the novel, they did not really feel so much like the real focus of Ruth’s story. The romance elements were interesting to read but I definitely got the sense that the novel was more about self-discovery than anything else.

The novel was well-written and fast-paced and I really did enjoy it. In the Neighborhood of True has strong themes of acceptance that I think are necessary even 50 years after the novel takes place. My usual aversion to historical fiction is totally gone with this one and I definitely recommend reading this novel if you get a chance.

I really enjoyed reading this story of a girl who is trying to figure out who she is in a time when being who you are can be a dangerous thing. Ruth is in a new place, trying to make new friends, and is dealing with grief all at the same time. It’s no wonder she drives down the neighborhood of true.

Ruth is a Jewish young woman in the 1950’s south where Jim Crow and the KKK are still part of every day life. It may be in the shadow’s but segregation is still very much a thing, and coming from New York City where things are more ahead of the times she’s stuck in the middle of wanting to be a part of society and having to hide who she really is.

I thought that the people Susan surrounded Ruthie with were the perfect combination of acceptance and prejudice. I thought that the little nuances that Ruthie does, like saying Thank you to the negro staff or calling them yes ma’am or sir, really took you back to that time period. Even the language that is used puts you in the 1950’s where you can go down to the Steakary for a Co-Cola. I enjoyed those aspects of the book a lot.

I think that when we think of the south we only think of the segregation between white and black and forget that there were other people who were discriminated against. The book addresses the religious persecution that took place in that time as well. If you weren’t Christian than you must be of a difference race. At one point in the book people of other race or religion are called “aliens” which I found really fascinating. It really dived into the prejudices of the south and I think that makes this an important book.

When it comes Historical Fiction books it’s always a hit or miss with me, never in the middle. It’s a genre I don’t read too often and I’m careful with picking up since misses happen more often than hits. But every once in a while a book like In the Neighborhood of True comes along and changes my mind. Because the thing that this book does best is that it doesn’t, not even for a single moment, feel like historical fiction - or fiction at all.
In the Neighborhood of True is a story about the south in the late ‘60s through the eyes of Ruth, a Jewish girl in her teens. After her father’s death her mother moves them from somewhat progressive New York to Atlanta, where the debutante culture and calling the civil war “the war of northern aggression” are the norm. Ruth then does everything she can to both fit in and stand up for what she believes in, which tend to be mutually exclusive.
I really enjoyed the writing in this book, I thought the writing style and the voice Mrs. Kaplan Carlton chose fit the story very well.
The characters were well-developed and the interactions between them seemed very organic. I was especially caught up in the interactions between Max and Ruth the entire time, I thought that there was a special kind of dynamic between them that was really fun to witness.
The pacing of the plot suited the story very well too, and the story itself was moving and especially engaging.
This book was hard to put down for me. During the time I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it, it occupied my mind until the very end. I think that thanks to where this world stands at this moment when it comes to politics, this book doesn’t feel like fiction at all, which is scary to think about. The only thing I can say that I didn't enjoy was the ending, to me personally it wasn't as satisfying, but at the same time I understand why it is the way it is (and that's all I'm gonna say in name of keeping this review spoiler free).
I love everything about this In the Neighborhood of True. It is one of the books that you should definitely not miss this year. It’s an important one and it’s gripping from beginning to end.
I recommend it.

3.5 stars

I’m still trying to decide how I feel about Susan Kaplan Carlton’s In the Neighborhood of True, which, since I finished it more than a week ago, must mean that it sticks with you.

The story takes place in 1958 Atlanta. Following the sudden death of her father, Ruth Robb, her mom and younger sister move to the South from New York City. Their new home — the pool house in her grandparents’ backyard — is just one of many changes thrust upon Ruth.

Friendless in a new town, Ruth decides to follow the family tradition of becoming a deb, joining the “pastel posse” and their little pink book of manners. Ruth quickly falls for Davis and soon finds herself in a world of etiquette, ball gowns and country clubs.

Part of fitting in means fitting a mold, and Ruth doesn’t. So she decides to hide her Jewish heritage and her attendance at Sabbath services. But as much as Ruth wants to look the other way, in a segregated Atlanta, that’s just not a choice. When a hate crime hits close to home, Ruth must decide once and for all where she belongs.

In the Neighborhood of True is rooted in some deeply personal experiences in Carlton’s own life. Her family moved to Atlanta and joined a synagogue. “We were still new to town when our youngest daughter announced she’d learned that the classroom she spent every Sunday morning in had been the site of a bombing 50 years before,” Carlton said in a blog tour Q&A. “That stayed with me — the idea that the walls that held these kids had once been blown apart. In the Neighborhood of True is a response to that bombing in 1958, retribution for the rabbi’s involvement in civil rights.”

As Carlton developed the story, the author realized Ruth’s various lies and omission about her religion rang true in other ways. “I remembered my college boyfriend asking me to not tell his grandfather that I was Jewish…he just wanted the man to like me, he said. And, unbelievably, I agreed. That’s the question I found myself puzzling over — why was I so quick to hide who I was for this boy I loved?”

Knowing about the seeds of In the Neighborhood of True gives the story weight. Their scope adds to the already present authenticity. Ruth can, at times, appear a little shallow, but the further you read, the more complex she becomes, especially in relation to her “friends.”

In the Neighborhood of True is well written, but I felt at odds with it throughout. I often felt uncomfortable, and maybe I was meant to. The book is set in 1958, and the language and attitudes reflect that. However, the racial sentiments of 1958 haven’t evolved as much as we’d like to think since then. Neither have the religious ones. It seems we are a society intent on singling out one group or another for their supposed “faults.”

In the Neighborhood of True sticks with you. While I’m not sure I’d reread it, I’m glad it crossed my path.

Thank you Algonquin YR for inviting me onto this Blog Tour and for Gifting me an E-ARC in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

What I loved most about this book, is that it was so atmospheric. I felt like I was transported back to the 1950’s. I had no issue imagining The “Pastel Posse”, the cotillion, the pageantry of the elite debutantes. The shy/nervous Ruth Robb, her eccentric grandparents, her worrisome mother, and cute little sister.

The 50’s is actually one time period I wish I could teleport to, there were so many historical life events, that I would have loved to witness. On the other hand, topics that this book shes a light on, are a reason why I wouldn’t want to. The rampant racism, the hate crimes, the holier than thou religious folk, it was a scary time frame. And I think this book did a fantastic job encapsulating that.

I.T.N.O.T. had such a nice pace to it, I feel like I flew through the book, even though it was such a heavy topic. I Really liked Carlton’s writing style. Sometimes in YA books, the Author tends to dumb down a teenage character, and uses such an immature dialogue. I felt like these characters, were written as their age, and as a teenager would be in the 1950’s. Pushing boundaries, testing their parents, their friends, and trying to navigate life in a non easy world. Well done.

While this is a coming of age story, it is also a very sad one. I did really enjoy it, and I will make sure to look out for Carlton’s books from now on. Also, I want to add, I am in love with the musical references in this book, some of my very favorite music is from the 1950’s and I love when music and literature joins forces. Check out the playlist in the Q&A Below.

Is this an important topic? Absolutely! Does this book deserve to be read by loads of people? Yes, yes, yes. Did it work for me? Not in the slightest.

This feels like one of those "it's not you, it's me!" moments ('you' being the book, and 'me' being, well... me), but the writing style doesn't work for me at all. I also immediately had some huge personal issues with the depictions of characters in this book, and the whole thing just... sigh. It's not for me, fam. I definitely hope others will love it because it's an important topic and we need more own-voice Jewish rep in YA for sure, but I won't be picking this one back up.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I just want to start off by saying that I borderline loved this book. I devoured it. It may have been my current read for six days, but I read 50% of this book in one day. It’s so compulsively readable and while it tackles some heavy hitting topics it’s a really easy and immensely enjoyable read. I basically couldn’t put it down, I just kept reading and reading, it was so good and so fun and I needed to know where it was going. I can’t stress enough how readable this book is, it flows so smoothly it’s entirely possible to read in one sitting.

In the Neighborhood of True follows Ruth Robb as she moves back down South with her mother and sister after the death of her father. This is a historical fiction that takes place in the 1958 Atlanta, a time when the city is overrun with hatred and unease. We get to see this unfold through the eyes of one of the ‘outsiders’ who manages to make it to the inside, all the while we follow as Ruth falls in love, struggles to find the right and wrong of the situation, and battles with her desire to fit in or stand out.

One of the things I love about this book is that it centers on a Jewish narrator and we get to see the hate directed towards the Jewish people in the 1950’s. A lot of the time, historicals that feature Jewish main characters are really only set during WWII, but I like that we got this different side of it. The author does a great job with the authenticity of the time; every time I picked this up I was immersed in pastel tea dresses, Southern sweet tea, and Friday night football games. It was so fun and so sweet, but at the same time there was this sinister undercurrent of racism and discrimination, and I thought the author balanced that so expertly.

I think Ruth was such a great main character to follow because she was so easy to relate to and had such an authentic voice. I remember being in high school and wanting to fit in and have friends and a boyfriend but also being torn between that and being myself. It can be so hard not to get swept up in the status quo and be a follower and we get to see Ruth battle that as the book progresses. The romance element here was so innocent and at the same time toe-curlingly sweet, and I found myself falling in love for the first time all over again with Ruth and Davis. We also get all these incredible side characters who help Ruth follow her own path and not a single person in this book is unnecessary.

Everything about this book is fantastic, I just thought the plot fell a little short. For about 75% of this novel it read like a YA romance and I kept waiting and waiting for the racism/discrimination issue to become more prominent than the dances and romance and teas but it didn’t come until right at the end. I wish it had been more of a center feature of the book but instead it took a backseat to the romance plot line, which is ultimately why I gave it a four instead of a five star rating.

Honestly, this book is one of the best things I’ve read all year. I’m so grateful to have been able to read and review this one early because it really was a beautiful novel. The author combines the best and worst parts of the 50’s with humor, wit, impeccable writing, and a main character that I think will stick with me for a long time. Pick this novel up if you’re into YA and if you aren’t make sure to pick this up for a friend, this novel is amazing.

From the moment I began this story, I was instantly hooked. It started with Ruth in a courtroom about to testify about the hate crime that occured during the novel. What was the hate crime? What was she specifically there to testify for? What was she going to say? So many questions popped into my mind in the first few pages, and I knew I needed to have all of them answered.

Ruth, her mother, and her sister have moved from New York to Atlanta to live with her grandparents after her father’s sudden and unfortunate death. Fontaine and Mr. Hank (the grandparents) are Christian, but Ruth and her family are Jewish. In Atlanta in 1958, being Jewish was not something that was very accepted. Ruth hides this part about her as she goes to a Christian school and is influenced by Fontaine to get involved in debutante life.

The glitz and the glamour capture Ruth, along with Davis, the boy with the lovely smile and cute dimple. In her infatuation, Ruth continues to hide the real her. Until a violent hate crime occurs, and Ruth must ultimately decide the person she wants to be.

This book was incredible. Incredible. I was sucked in from the very beginning and just couldn’t put it down. The writing really brought the setting of the 1950s to life. I could picture the fashion, the speech, and the manerisms so clearly in my mind. It was almost like watching a movie.

But what was most important about this book was how Susan Kaplan Carlton chose to tackle such a prevalent issue. Sure, this was book set in 1958 and schools and busses and movie theatres are no longer segregated and you won’t be turned away from a debutante ball if you’re Jewish, but you can’t sit there and tell me that people do not experience awful prejudices in 2019. It may not be as clean cut as 1958, but it sure as hell exists.

And just as it was important in 1958 for Ruth to decide whether or not to do the right thing, it is also important for us to absolutely decide to do the right thing in 2019.

Susan Kaplan Carlton has graced us with a lovely novel and I think you should all pick it up when you have a chance. Every single thing about it was great. When someone can present such a vital topic with a beautiful story and elegant writing, it’s not something you want to miss out on.

FINDING YOUR VOICE.

I loved the perspective this book gave. We often see Jewish related books based around World War II. This instead, brings it past that time into an era where anti-Semitism is still heavily prevalent (especially in the South US). The historical aspects (the hate crime from this novel) really struck a chord.

This book, personally, felt like the first time we all realize that racism is truly around us and how difficult it can be to accept that some people are filled with unfounded hate.

Our main character, Ruth, had to learn a lot in this book. Initially all of our focus was on her fitting in. Wearing the perfect outfit, going to the right school, being in the best circle of friends, dating the cute boy, etc. She was vain and a bit shallow. While tedious at first, you can see how Ruth’s perspective and mindset change over the novel. She felt compelled to hide who she truly was for fear of being ostracized. It wasn’t until there was a glaringly obvious reason that Ruth decided to tell others that she was Jewish. Sometimes, it takes a big push to understand the gravity of the situation.

There was so much research for this book! Carlton seriously did an amazing job of putting me in the 1950s-60s without it being too heavy-handed. What’s funny is I would cringe at certain things characters would say/do because it’s not the way we handle things now. Which I credit as a positive. I loved feeling truly present in the story.

One of the reasons I gave four stars was that it took way too long to get back to the trial. The first chapter is set up with Ruth being a witness to something, then it skips back 6 months. I clocked it at 94% when the trial actually came back into play. I would have loved a bigger expansion on that piece and less on Ruth being in high school and running around with Davis.

The ending made me pause as the title clicked into place. Ruth had made some choices and had continually only told portions of the truth. She at last realized she was tired being in the neighborhood of true, and wanted to live and experience life without having to hide behind her own omissions.

Overall audience notes:

Young adult historical fiction
Language: very little
Romance: a kiss, make-outs, a glossed over love scene
Violence: hate-crime
Trigger warnings: underage drinking/smoking, description of a lynching, hate-crime, racism, anti-Semitism

CW: underage drinking, anti-Semitism

An intense, familiar, heart breaking novel about choice, morality, and family, In the Neighborhood of True is the story of Ruth, a young teen girl who is faced with a complex web of action, feeling, racism, and anti-Semitism when she and her family move to 1950's Atlanta after the death of her father.

What is justice, right or wrong, and who is she to decide whether to stand up? Reading Ruth's story as she figures out who she is, what her strength is and what she will do with it, is a mighty important tale from Susan Kaplan Carlton. I want to thank Brittani Hilles from Algonquin Books & Algonquin Young Readers for reaching out to me & giving me the chance to review this book.

Taking place in 1959, there was a lot of particularly time period sentiments that were blood boiling in their existence. From Mr. Hank (Ruth's grandfather) brushing aside his daughter, Ruth's Mother, desire & passion regarding covering important news stories because his paper "needs men to hop on those stories", to the decorum rules that Ruth and her peers are having drummed into them, there a quite a few occurrences of tongue biting in the reading of this book. These pale next to the religious bigotry that begin in vocal asides and snowball into horrible actions as the story continues.

A terrifying thought is that there are echoes of sexist & religiously intolerant practices, if not worse ones, in our current atmosphere. It was saddening to read about the past & realize what's changed and what we only think has. From larger scale things to the micro acts throughout, Carlton took care to craft a story that didn't neglect the layers of life.

Ruth, the main character and whose lense everything is filtered through, is a complicated girl. She is a teenager going through complex emotions that would be hard enough at any time in history but especially so given the events, historical and personal, going on around her.

As the daughter of a Jewish father and a mother who converted from Christianity, there's a pull as to what she should be loyal to. When her family, after the death of her father, moves from New York City to her mother's hometown of Atlanta and into the guest home of her grandparents, there's an entire atmosphere of anti-Semitism to contend with. Ruth wants to belong, a reasonable thing, but what will that cost?

There are choices she has to make along the way that show what she may or may not be betraying in regards to her own moral compass, consciously or not, as well as what she's not really seeing going on around her (i.e. hearing about integration protests on the radio but dismissing them when she realizes the report doesn't contain any names she recognizes). 

Carlton's characterization strength extends to setting. From details regarding fashion to the way Mr. Hank has a wireless set up to receive news reports in his home, the 1950's were exquisitely portrayed on the page. Once sunken into the story, admittedly as explained above there were the difficult choices and topics to contend with, but as well written as the book was, it was one that on multiple sides made it one that I didn't want to put down.